General Booking Information

Arrivals

Hibiscus Gardens is a gated condominium of privately owned properties that has a Reception run by the management company to welcome you into your accommodation and look after your needs during your stay. You will be met on arrival, checked in and shown to your apartment and around the complex.

Arrivals after Midnight are by arrangement and there may be a small fee as we will need to call someone out. When busy, check-in time is 15:00, to give time for the apartment to be cleaned and ready for your arrival. There will be somewhere for you to change and enjoy the restaurant, bar, pool, etc. Check when booking if this is likely to be necessary. Check out is usually 11:00 but you are welcome to stay as late as you wish if there is not someone following on immediately. Again, check when booking. But if you have a late flight you can still use the facilities at Hibiscus and there will be somewhere for you to leave your luggage, shower and change before you leave.

In the apartment you will find a information pack I have put together which gives you information about all the local facilities, supermarkets, beaches, activities, etc. And you can always ask at Reception if you have any further questions. I update this regularly and appreciate any feedback on places you have visited, good restaurants, etc. which will be useful for future guests.

If you type 37.104554, -8.473694 into Bing Maps (www.bing.com/maps) you will see us there - the entrance being at the start of the 7 3-bed villas with pools, followed by the 2-bed villas and then the apartments at the main pool end.

Driving instructions at the bottom of this page.

Departure

Please vacate the apartment by 11:00, unless otherwise agreed with myself or Reception. Any outstanding costs may be paid at Reception during opening hours the day before your departure. If you are on a late flight and I have nobody arriving the following day, I am happy for you to stay in the apartment for the day. I will be able to let you know if this is possible at time of booking or during your stay.

Electricity

The voltage in Portugal is 220V. The accommodation takes 2-pin round plugs

Getting to Hibiscus

Car Hire

I use two car hire companies generally:

CarDelMar- this company is a Broker and has arrangements for for most of the car hire companies at the Airports. I am happy to recommend CarDelMar. They have always been very reliable and the prices are extremely competitive. You need to book with them direct but I am happy to offer you any advice on the companies they use - I have tried most of them!

Budget Car Hire - we have negotiated special rates from either the Airports or they will also deliver and pick up directly from Hibiscus if you only want a car for a few days of your holiday. Their rate list can be downloaded from the bottom of this page and if you wish to use them, I can organise this directly with them.

Note: When booking a car, be aware of the ‘Full to Empty’ policy some of the car companies have. Although they may appear cheaper, it is often far more expensive because effectively you have to take the car back empty (which obviously isn’t possible!) and they charge you for a full tank at top rates whether it is full or not!

Car hire rates tend to rise significantly during high season, especially if there is a shortage of cars, which is common during July/August - so book early if you can, whatever option you decide on.

Driving

From Faro Airport:

Takes about 40/45 minutes (about 30 minutes on the motorway)

From Lisbon Airport:

Takes about 2.5-3 hours

Detailed driving instructions on getting to Hibiscus Gardens from Faro or Lisbon can be downloaded at the bottom of this page, which include the exact latitude/longitude location. Tolls have recently been introduced to the A22 which runs from Faro Airport and is the most direct route to Carvoeiro. See notes in the driving instructions at the bottom of this page for more information.

Resort Hoppa Transfer

Hibiscus Gardens is on the Resort Hoppa route. They will drop right at the door. It costs around £10 per person each way! Any child under 2 years old is free. Options are a 'Shared Shuttle' which takes approx. 1.10 hrs or 'Speedy Shuttle' (max 4 stops) which takes approx. 1 hr.

Taxi Transfer

I am happy to organise the taxi for you on request and will copy you in on email sent. However, it is your responsibility to ensure that you have received confirmation that you are booked and any changes to flights are communicated to the taxi company or myself to keep them informed. The company we use is 100% reliable and English speaking. Taxi fares have recently increased due to the new tolls that have been introduced. The prices from Faro Airport to Hibiscus Gardens are as follows:

FrontRowTransfers - For 4 persons (including children/babies) is 60.00€ each way. 5/6 persons is 70.00€ each way. FrontRowTransfers provide a complimentary 'Welcome Pack' of bottled water. They also provide 2 other Welcome Packs which include local groceries, wines, beers, etc - which can be viewed here:
http://www.frontrowtransfers.com/welcome_packs.html

Hairdryer

A hairdryer is provided

Internet

Free wireless internet available in the apartment. Also available in Restaurant/Bar area.

Iron/Ironing Board

An iron/ironing board is provided

Linen/Towels

All linen, towels and pool towels are provided.

Maid Service

Unless otherwise stated during the booking, your rate includes 2 x clean per week and a change of linen/towels if needed once per week. If you require additional maid service, this can be arranged and paid for in advance of your stay or directly to Reception. This is applicable only to bookings for one week or more.

Parking

There is plenty of parking throughout Hibiscus Gardens.

Safe

There is a safe in the main bedroom where you can lock your valuables - passport, cash, etc. during your stay.

Shopping - Welcome Pack

I can arrange for the basics to be delivered to the Apartment on your arrival. This is a complimentary service and payment for the cost of your items only to be made to Reception on departure. Simply download (click on the arrow to the right of the document to download) the shopping list at the bottom of this page and email back to me by at least 2 or 3 days before you leave.

Train Station

The closest station is Tunes which is about 30mins away. You can view train timetables in English here: http://www.cp.pt/

Airport Exec Lounges - Priority Pass give you access to Airport Exec Lounges all over the world

Travel Ideas

Global Sim Card - I use GlobalSimCard when I am travelling - the sim card saves a fortune on phone calls - incoming and outgoing - and you can divert your calls to the new number or leave a message on your voicemail giving the number. You can pick from a selection of UK numbers so people calling you do not have to call an international number to reach you either.

Dropbox - is a free web-based file hosting service that uses 'cloud' storage to enable you to store and share files and folders with others across the Internet. I find Dropbox really useful when I am travelling as I can access my critical data (files I have saved in Dropbox on my laptop/PC) anywhere in the world via my phone, another laptop/PC, web, etc. You can install Dropbox on as many laptops, tablets, phones, etc. as you wish and the data will sync across them all as soon as you update and save a file or add a new file to the folder. Also, if your laptop crashes or gets lost on the journey, you don't lose any of your data. Use my link and we will both automatically get additional free storage space once you have signed up!